Goldback's Revenge
by ScarlettLetter12061995
Summary: Vanessa Goldback has been Oogie's trusted partner for 70 years, but what will happen after he's gone?


"Thank you sir! Now I can bail my boyfriend out, God bless you, sir!" called a woman as she walked into the bathroom of a club, holding a five-dollar bill in her hands. As soon as the door closed, she began to femininely laugh. She stuck the bill down her red dress. "What a sap." She walked over to the trashcan and fished out a copy of the New York Times. She flipped through it until she found an article that she found interesting. "SAVINGS SOAR IN JERSEY" she looked at the date of the paper; October 31, 1923. "God, what a decade I live in." she said to herself in pride then threw the newspaper back in the trashcan. She took out a thin paintbrush from her purse. She turned on the faucet and put the brush under it. "That guy at the bar looked like he had a couple of clams." She said to herself, and then began to apply water to the bottom of her eyes with the paintbrush, to give the appearance that she was crying. She then put the brush away and pulled out an old folded up fedora. She examined it with a smile. She then placed it on her head and examined herself in the mirror. She had gotten the fedora a long time ago, when she first started conning at 18. "30 years and it still fits," she said, her mind in another time, of when she was young and it was easier to con people. She suddenly heard a voice come from behind her. "What's a doll like you doing in a place like this on Halloween?" she heard a gravely voice asked. She turned around fast. "Who's there?" she asked in a startled tone. When she looked back, she saw the guy that she saw at the bar. "Oh, um… how long have you been standing there?" He grabbed her by the neck and pinned her against the wall. "Long enough to know that you're a harlot who thinks you can fool me out of a couple of jacks." She struggled under his grip, scared to death. He began to look up and down her body with a lecherous look in his eyes. With his free hand, he began to caress her face, brushing her brunette hair away from her cheeks. "On the other hand," he said more to him then to her, "You could be useful to me." He then slowly stuck his tongue out, but it wasn't a tongue, it was a snake. In a stroke of fear, she kneed him in the stomach. As he stumbled back, she slugged him in the jaw, knocking him on the floor, landing on his stomach. When she looked down on him, she saw something that wasn't quite right. On the back of his head, there was a zipper. She bent down, grabbed the zipper and pulled. The zipper lead all the way down his back; underneath the human skin was green burlap. She jumped back in horror, as the creature got out of its skin, to reveal a huge burlap man. She pulled a pistol out of her purse and aimed it at the disoriented figure as he gained his balance. He looked at her, seeing she had no fear of him whatsoever; she stood strong and confidently. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded, not phased by him. "Now take it easy, doll face. I just wanna talk." he reassured, trying to make sure he wouldn't get shoot, forgetting he wouldn't be harmed by it. She lowered her aim, still suspicious. "You sure do have a funny way of showing it," she said, slowly putting the gun away, never taking her eyes off him. "So are we gonna talk?" he asked, observing at her bored look. She walked over to him and held out a hand. "Butt me, then we'll talk," she said, staring into his empty sockets. He walked over to his human skin and fished threw the pockets of his pants, then pulled out a case of cigarettes. He handed her one and a lighter. He waited impatiently as she light it up. "Ok, now we can talk." she said as exhaled a puff of smoke. "So are you a full time gold digger, or do you just do it fun?" he asked. "It's the only thing I know." She said, smiling in pride. "Aren't you a little old to be conning people?" he asked, looking at her with a doubtful look on his face. She wasn't the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, she was starting to get wrinkles, and her hourglass figure was barely hanging on. She shot a look of disgust at him. "48 is not old, and besides, when I get older, I can tell people I broke my hip." she responded. She walked over to him and blew ash and smoke into his face. "And what kind of business you in?" she asked. "Gambling, little darling." he said, waiting for some comeback response, but instead, she smiled and said, " A business I've always wanted to get into, but never had the luck for it." He chuckled and said, "Luck has nothing to do with it, doll face. You just have to be good at cheating." She laughed to herself, taking a deep inhaled into her cigarette. "Doll face, I have a proposition for you." he said, finding some interest in this new girl. "Hm, and what might that be?" she asked, tapped in ash off of her cigarette. "How would you like to become my partner?" she looked at him in surprise. "Sounds interesting. What's in it for me?" "Money, power and… immortality." She nearly choked on her second-hand smoke. "Oh come on, big boy, I'm no idiot. There's no such thing as immortality and youth." Oh yeah, look in the mirror." he insisted. "Yeah and what I'm I going to se-" she cut herself off. She walked over to the mirror, absolutely shocked. Her hair was back to its original golden luster, her waist was back to 32 inches. "I'm… I'm 21 again… but how?" "I have my ways," he said, smiling at his work. "So let me get this straight, I become partners with you, and I get money, power, youth and immortality. What's the catch?" she turned around, arms folded, giving him a doubtful look. "No catch, just become my partner." "Seriously, you really think I'm that stupid, I've been in the business long enough to know that there's always a catch." She walked up to him. "Alright, alright. When I die, the effect wears off, no matter how old you really are, you will return to 48 and if I get resurrected, you become 21 again, got it?" She flicked her cigarette into the trashcan. "So, do we have a deal?" he held his hand out. She looked at his hand, then him and grabbed his hand and shook it. "Deal." He released her hand. "Now, what's your name, baby?" "Where are you from?" "What does that have to do with anything?" "I have many aliases and I want you to call me by what alias I have where you live." "Halloween Town." "Never been there before, I'll have to think a new name." she stood there and thought for a minute, then she thought of it. "Vanessa." she took off her fedora and bowed, "Vanessa Goldback, at your service." she got up. "And who do I have the pleasure of working with?" "Oogie Boogie, doll face, and don't you forget it." he said, then squeezed back into his human skin. "I've got to get back to Halloween Town, Vanessa, but I will see you again." he turned to leave, but Vanessa grabbed him. "I'm coming with you." "If you insist, doll face." he said, wrapping his hand around her waist. She then slapped him in the face. "Don't you even think about it, bimbo." "Fine, come on." and they walked out the door and out of the club. As they walked to Halloween Town, Vanessa turned to Oogie and said, "You know Oogie, I have a feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership."


End file.
